Shadows and Mist
by Kaelz
Summary: An ancient evil has been awakened....
1. Wounded

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE RIGHTS TO CHARMED AND AM IN NEW WAY AFFILIATED WITH THE CAST OR THE CREW.**

_**Shadows and Mist**_

_Part 1_

Prue walked into the Manor, hanging up her coat and walking towards the phone. She pressed a button on the answer machine and Piper's voice spoke.

"Hey guys, I'm really busy at the club, so I haven't got time to come and change, someone please drop by with some clothes?"

Prue smiled to herself. It was so typical of Piper to let herself get so swamped at work that she didn't have time to get a change of clothes. Even though she did own the place. She shook her head a little and proceeded up the stairs.

At the same moment, Cole and Phoebe shimmered into the hallway. Cole collapsed to the floor, his were ripped and blood trickled from several nasty wounds around his abdomen and chest. Phoebe looked stricken, her eyes blind with panic.

"PRUE? PIPER?" she yelled wildly at the top of her lungs. She focused her attention on Cole, taking a breath to calm herself down. "It'll be okay, baby. Hang in there"

Prue came running down the stairs at sound of her sisters voice. "Phoebe, what the-" she stopped mid sentence as she saw her sister kneeling over Cole's battered form. She rushed toward them.

"Oh my god, what happened?" she asked quickly, kneeling down to study Cole's wounds. Phoebe tried to hold back her tears as her panic raced through her.

"Bounty hunters, they came out of nowhere. We barely got away" she cried wildly. Prue nodded and sought her sisters gaze. She looked at her sister calmly.

"First aid kit, honey" Phoebe nodded and stood up, running quickly in the direction of the kitchen.

Prue looked down at Cole. Blood poured out of his wounds, forming a small pool around him on the floor. Her eyes widened in horror at the extent of his injuries. Her hands were bathed in blood as she tried to apply pressure to the more severe of his wounds.

"Damn it" she muttered in frustration as the blood continued to flow feely. Phoebe ran back in from the kitchen carrying a first-aid box. She froze in her place as she watched the pool of blood that surrounded her soul mate. Tears streamed down her face as white hot panic seared through her.

"LEO !!" she screamed loudly into the air as she ran over to her blood soaked sister and her mortally wounded demon boyfriend. She flipped open the first aid box and pulled out several sterile dressings and pads to tend to the injuries. Prue quickly grew impatient. "Damn it, LEO!" she called for her brother in law. A swirl of bright orbs near the stairs mineralised into the sister's Whitelighter. He took the scene in and rushed over.

"What happened?" he frowned in deep concern.

"Later. Heal him" Prue said frantically. Leo shook his head wistfully.

"I- I can't heal demons"

Phoebe looked up quickly, her glossy, tear soaked eyes searching his. "You can heal half of him. Please Leo. He's dying"

Leo nodded and looked down at the gaping wounds on Cole's body. He held out his hands determinedly and glowing, golden light flowed over the bloody injuries. The blood flow quelled slightly and the wounds appeared less severe. However, before they could be completely healed, small electrostatic bolts began to fly between Leo's hands the wounds he was trying to fix. He lowered his hands and looked helplessly at the sisters.

"I can't do anymore" he said, shaking his head. Prue let her eyes travel over Cole's body. The bleeding had stopped. The wounds seemed to have closed slightly and his breathing was more even and steady. Prue smiled reassuringly.

"You've done enough"

Leo smiled at her. Phoebe's tears had stopped falling and she looked visibly calmer. She hugged her brother in law.

"Thank you" she whispered into his shoulder.

_**Sorry for the short chapter guys. Please read and review. TBC. **_


	2. Storm

Disclaimer: I don't own anything guys.

_**Shadows and Mist**_

Part 2

Flickering torches on the walls illuminated the darkness of the Underworld. Shadows flittered across the cavern and distant howls of pain echoed menacingly. A hooded figure stood patiently in front of a dark book, the pages seemed to be the very colour of the night. He lifted one hand up slightly and clicked his fingers and in a silhouette of flames, a rather large man appeared. He had wild hair and cold, empty looking eyes. Around his belt, there was a dagger and several black pouches attached. As soon as he saw where he was, he sank obediently to one knee and bowed his head. The hooded figure turned his head and regarded the man. He spoke in a cold, toneless voice that filled the atmosphere with a thick feeling of foreboding.

"Is Belthazor dead, Bounty Hunter?"

The man kept his head bowed, determinedly fixing his gaze to the floor.

"He has been severely wounded, my liege." he replied calmly.

The hooded figure remained still and quiet for a moment. He then walked slowly toward the bounty hunter.

"But his death is not absolute." it was more of a statement than a question. "Rise."

The bounty hunter got swiftly to his feet.

"You will try again." the hooded figure said, waving his hand in front of the bounty hunter, who then emitted a momentary glow.

"Your powers have been tripled. Do not fail me."

The bounty hunter nodded and shimmered away. The hooded figure walked back towards the black book and slammed it shut. He walked back across the cavern as fire surrounded his body and he dematerialised.

At the same moment, unbeknownst to the hooded man, the inverted pentagram on the front of the book glowed brightly and the book itself opened, its pages flipping as though propelled by wind. The force ceased and the book lay open on a specific page. A low rumbling resounded through the dark cave. It became steadily louder until the ground shook violently and dust and rocks fell from the ceiling….

* * *

"Okay, what is going on with all these earthquakes?" Piper asked in annoyance as she plucked a frozen vase out of midair.

Prue walked in from the dining room doorway and straightened several pictures that had been knocked askew by the force of the quake. She turned to Piper.

"Third one in two days. Not to mention the freak storms"

Piper nodded in disgust and placed the vase back on the end table. The youngest Halliwell came trotting down the stairs, she looked slightly sombre.

"Yeah well, this is what global warming does for ya." she said as she walked towards her sisters. Piper and Prue turned to face her, both wearing looks of concern on their faces.

"Hey Pheebs," Piper greeted her younger sister, "how's Cole doing?"

It had been two days since Cole had barely managed to shimmer him and Phoebe back to the manor after being attacked by a team of bounty hunters. Cole had been grievously injured by the attack, on the brink of death until Leo had managed to heal enough of the damage to stabalise him. According to Phoebe however, they had put up one hell of a fight, killing all but one bounty hunter, who had caused the most damage and used the opportunity to escape before Phoebe could come up with a satisfactory vanquishing spell.

"He's a lot better now, just resting up. The battle took a lot out of him, but he's nearly fully recovered. Another day or two, he should be fine" Phoebe informed them, the relief evident from both the tone of her voice and the smile that played on her lips. Her older sisters smiled happily at the news. The happiness was slightly short lived, however, as a sudden tremor rocked the manor, accompanied by a monumental crash of thunder and blazes of lightening that flashed through the sky. The tremor was over as quickly as it had began. Piper scrunched up her face in frustration at the inconvenience of yet _ANOTHER_ quake. Prue smiled a little to herself.

"Umm, Piper?" she said cautiously.

"What?" Piper snapped slightly. She followed her sister's gaze to see the vase that she had saved from damage just three minutes earlier, shattered on the floor. She groaned to herself and threw her hands up in the air.

"Arrgh, I give up!" she said in exasperation as she walked briskly out of the room. Her sisters giggled to each other quietly, but quickly straightened their faces as Piper marched back in with a dustpan and brush.

* * *

The storm continued to rage through the skies. Thunder rumbled and growled fiercely. Lightening darted furiously in all directions and rain poured down without mercy. Earthquakes shook the ground with vengeance and chaos reigned. However, it was not Mother Nature who was responsible for this assault upon the Earth….


End file.
